The real-life mystery of Sir John Franklin and his doomed 1845 expedition to find the end of the Northwest Passage provides the starting point for this very long (over 700 pages), but extremely readable novel. When the story begins, the English ships Erebus and Terror have been trapped in the ice of the Arctic for months; as their food supply dwindles, the crew slowly realizes that any hope of escaping by ship may be futile. As they struggle to survive the harsh winter, a creature, that may be a giant polar bear or may be something more sinister, begins preying on the men. This compelling mix of historical fiction, horror story, and Inuit lore kept me alternately fascinated and terrified to the very end.

posted Feb 27, 2009 at 10:17AM

 Add a Comment